razgriz19
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Israeli Air Force (IAF) officials on Monday said eight engines that power F-15 and F-16 jets, which comprise the backbone of the IAF, were stolen from its northern Ramat David air base about three months ago.
The base commander, an officer with the rank of Brigadier General, estimated that base personnel may have assisted the thieves with information on the engines' location on base and its security procedures.
The investigation into the affair, revealed after a court- ordered gag order was lifted on Sunday, is being jointly conducted by the Israel Police and military police.
Each of the Pratt and Whitney turbofan engines is said to weigh several tons. Stealing them for the value of their metal could only had been made possible with heavy trucks and special loading cranes entering the base.
IAF officials said the engines, which were stored in a hangar, were decommissioned and likely slated for destruction.
Military officials, however, described the security breach at the base, home to several F-15 squadrons, as "scandalous."
"It's not a typical theft, but a scandal," Israeli daily Yedioth Aharonot quoted a military source as saying. "The base contains a lot of classified things. The affair testifies to the thieves' audacity and cooperation with base personnel -- whether soldiers or civilian contractors."
"Old engines were stolen this time around. Other classified hardware may be stolen the next time. The fact that criminal elements entered the base unnoticed and managed to steal engines so large is a major security failure," he added.
Israeli Military Police have attributed the theft to the rising value of metals in the international market. Metal theft in Israel at large has risen 35 percent over the past year.
The stolen goods are mostly sold to scrap yard owners, melted to solid blocks and shipped abroad.
Thieves have also targeted other Israeli military installations in the past year. A logistics base south of Tel Aviv was stripped of its copper cables while tons of metal were plundered from a southern Armored Corps base.
The base commander, an officer with the rank of Brigadier General, estimated that base personnel may have assisted the thieves with information on the engines' location on base and its security procedures.
The investigation into the affair, revealed after a court- ordered gag order was lifted on Sunday, is being jointly conducted by the Israel Police and military police.
Each of the Pratt and Whitney turbofan engines is said to weigh several tons. Stealing them for the value of their metal could only had been made possible with heavy trucks and special loading cranes entering the base.
IAF officials said the engines, which were stored in a hangar, were decommissioned and likely slated for destruction.
Military officials, however, described the security breach at the base, home to several F-15 squadrons, as "scandalous."
"It's not a typical theft, but a scandal," Israeli daily Yedioth Aharonot quoted a military source as saying. "The base contains a lot of classified things. The affair testifies to the thieves' audacity and cooperation with base personnel -- whether soldiers or civilian contractors."
"Old engines were stolen this time around. Other classified hardware may be stolen the next time. The fact that criminal elements entered the base unnoticed and managed to steal engines so large is a major security failure," he added.
Israeli Military Police have attributed the theft to the rising value of metals in the international market. Metal theft in Israel at large has risen 35 percent over the past year.
The stolen goods are mostly sold to scrap yard owners, melted to solid blocks and shipped abroad.
Thieves have also targeted other Israeli military installations in the past year. A logistics base south of Tel Aviv was stripped of its copper cables while tons of metal were plundered from a southern Armored Corps base.
